Patterned photovoltaic cell arrangements in solar module laminations

Abstract

A photovoltaic module incorporates a lamination including a back-sheet, an array of solar cells supported on the back-sheet, and a transparent protective covering over the array of solar cells. The solar cells are arranged in offset or staggered patterns on the back-sheet to present a more random and less rigid industrial appearance to an observer. In some cases, cleaved solar cell segments are arranged into groups that are staggered on the back-sheet. This allows for finer control of the net voltage produced by a module. In other embodiments, full single wafer solar cells are arranged into larger groups, which themselves are staggered on the back-sheet. In either case, the result is a photovoltaic module with an appearance that is more organic and acceptable to homeowners and architects than traditional modules having cells arranged in rigid aligned rows and columns.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A roof system, comprising:
 a plurality of solar modules, each solar module comprising:
 a single back-sheet having a length and a width; 
 a plurality of solar cells supported on the back-sheet, the solar cells being arranged on the back-sheet in a predetermined pattern of solar cells; 
 wherein the predetermined pattern comprises an array of solar cells including at least three rows of solar cells extending substantially parallel to each other across the width of the back-sheet, each row comprising a plurality of spaced solar cells, the rows being spaced apart along the length of the back-sheet, with each row of solar cells being shifted across the width of the back-sheet with respect to at least one adjacent row of solar cells; 
 the solar cells of each row being electrically interconnected in series along the back-sheet, with at least a first one of the solar cells of a row of solar cells electrically connected to a second one of the solar cells of the row of solar cells so as to define a current flow path configured to aggregate electrical energy produced by the solar cells; and 
 a protective covering overlying the solar cells; 
 wherein at least some of the solar cells comprise single wafer solar cells having a solar cell footprint, and wherein at least some of the solar cells comprise half-cell segments of solar cells cleaved from single wafer solar cells, at least some of the half-cell segments of solar cells positioned along the back-sheet in an edge-to-edge arrangement to form a solar cell having approximately a same size solar cell footprint as the solar cell footprint of the single wafer solar cells; 
 wherein the half-cell segments have independent polarities and are arranged with respect to adjacent half-cell segments to form groups of half-cell segments with predetermined polarity configurations; 
 wherein the half-cell segments are arranged in groups of at least two half-cell segments, and the groups of half-cell segments are electrically interconnected in a predetermined circuit configuration. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The roof system of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one solar panel incorporating the solar cell module of  claim 1 . 
     
     
       3. The roof system as claimed in  claim 1  wherein each row of solar cells is shifted by one-half the width of a solar cell. 
     
     
       4. The roof system as claimed in  claim 3  further comprising half-cell segments having a width approximately half a width of the solar cells located at the ends of the shifted rows to fill the space left by the shifting of the shifted rows. 
     
     
       5. The roof system as claimed in  claim 4  wherein at least some of the half-cell segments comprise dummy cell segments that do not produce electrical energy. 
     
     
       6. The roof system as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the shifted rows result in unfilled spaces at the ends of the rows of solar cells and wherein some of the spaces are filled with half-cell sized segments and some of the spaces are filled with full cell sized segments. 
     
     
       7. The roof system as claimed in  claim 6  wherein at least some of the half-cell sized segments comprise dummy cell segments that do not produce electrical energy when exposed to sunlight, and at least some of the half-cell sized segments comprise half-cell sized segments of solar cells that produce electricity when exposed to sunlight. 
     
     
       8. The roof system as claimed in  claim 7  wherein the full cell sized segments are dummy segments that do not produce electrical energy when exposed to sunlight. 
     
     
       9. The roof system as claimed in  claim 1  wherein at least some of the groups of half-cell segments comprise groups of four half-cell segments. 
     
     
       10. A solar cell module comprising:
 a single back-sheet having a length and a width; 
 a plurality of solar cells supported on the back-sheet, the solar cells being arranged on the back-sheet in a predetermined pattern comprising an array of solar cells including at least three rows of solar cells extending substantially parallel to each other across the width of the back-sheet, each row comprising a plurality of spaced solar cells, the rows being spaced apart along the length of the back-sheet, with each row of solar cells being shifted across the width of the backing sheet with respect to at least one adjacent row of solar cells; 
 the solar cells of each row being electrically interconnected in series with at least a first one of the solar cells of a row of solar cells electrically connected to a second one of the solar cells of the row of solar cells so as to define a current flow path configured to aggregate the electrical energy produced by the solar cells, wherein at least some of the solar cells comprise cell segments of solar cells; and 
 a protective covering overlying the solar cells; 
 wherein the cell segments comprise half-cell segments of solar cells positioned along the back-sheet in an edge-to-edge arrangement to form solar cells each having approximately a same size solar cell footprint as a footprint of a single wafer solar cell. 
 
     
     
       11. A solar cell module as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein alternating ones of the half-cell segments are rotated to align polarities thereof with polarities of adjacent half-cell segments. 
     
     
       12. A solar cell module as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the solar cells comprise a plurality of groups of solar cells, each group of solar cells being spaced from other groups of solar cells at a spacing greater than a spacing between the solar cells within each group of solar cells. 
     
     
       13. A roof system, comprising:
 a plurality of solar modules, each solar module comprising:
 a single back-sheet having a length and a width; 
 a plurality of solar cells supported on the back-sheet, the solar cells being arranged on the back-sheet in a predetermined pattern of solar cells; 
 wherein the predetermined pattern comprises an array of solar cells including at least three rows of solar cells extending substantially parallel to each other across the width of the back-sheet, each row comprising a plurality of spaced solar cells, the rows being spaced apart along the length of the back-sheet, with each row of solar cells being shifted across the width of the back-sheet with respect to at least one adjacent row of solar cells; 
 the solar cells of each row being electrically interconnected in series along the back-sheet, with at least a first one of the solar cells of a row of solar cells electrically connected to a second one of the solar cells of the row of solar cells so as to define a current flow path configured to aggregate electrical energy produced by the solar cells; and 
 a protective covering overlying the solar cells; 
 wherein the solar cells comprise half-cell segments of solar cells positioned along the back-sheet in a substantially edge-to-edge arrangement to form solar cells each having approximately a same size solar cell footprint as a footprint of single wafer solar cells. 
 
 
     
     
       14. A roof system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein unfilled spaces are defined at ends of at least some of the rows of solar cells, wherein some of the spaces are filled with half-cell sized segments and some of the spaces are filled with full cell sized segments; and
 wherein some of the half-cell sized segments and some of the full cell sized segments comprise dummy cell segments that do not produce electrical energy when exposed to sunlight. 
 
     
     
       15. A roof system, comprising:
 a plurality of solar modules, each solar module comprising: 
 
       a single back-sheet having a length and a width;
 a plurality of solar cells supported on the back-sheet, the solar cells being arranged on the back-sheet in a predetermined pattern of solar cells; 
 wherein the predetermined pattern comprises an array of solar cells including at least three rows of solar cells extending substantially parallel to each other across the width of the back-sheet, each row comprising a plurality of spaced solar cells, the rows being spaced apart along the length of the back-sheet, with each row of solar cells being shifted across the width of the back-sheet with respect to at least one adjacent row of solar cells; 
 the solar cells of each row being electrically interconnected in series along the back-sheet, with at least a first one of the solar cells of a row of solar cells electrically connected to a second one of the solar cells of the row of solar cells so as to define a current flow path configured to aggregate electrical energy produced by the solar cells; and 
 a protective covering overlying the solar cells; 
 wherein all of the solar cells comprise adjacent half-cell segments of solar cells positioned on the back-sheet in a substantially edge-to-edge arrangement.